A need exists for easily performing major maintenance on thrusters of deep draft vessels, such as drill ships, semi-submersibles, floating production platforms (FPSO), and other vessels because the thrusters extend below the bottom of the hull and are submerged in seawater at all times. Traditionally, maintenance has been performed by one of three ways.
Conventionally, for maintenance, the thrusters have been transported, attached to the vessel, to a dry dock, or to a graving dock. At the dry dock or graving dock, the vessel with the thrusters is taken out of the water. Problems exist with this conventional maintenance method and system because the vessel owners and operators lose vessel operating time as the vessel is out of service, and the use of the graving dock or dry dock is expensive.
The present embodiments provide a lower cost solution to this conventional maintenance system and method.
It has also been known to use divers or remote operated vehicles (ROV) beneath the floating vessel, which can lead to problems, in that the divers or the ROV's drop tools, are clumsy, and parts can be lost overboard. Special training is needed for the divers and for ROV operators.
The present embodiments no longer require the need for divers or ROV's to do underwater maintenance on thrusters.
The present embodiments reduce the risk of the occurrence of accidents that often occur when divers perform underwater maintenance on thrusters by eliminating or reducing the need for the divers.
The present embodiments meet the need.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.